Page 66 of Highlander Lord Of Vengeance

But no one was about.

Then another sob broke the silence, low and heartfelt, coming from further ahead.

They followed it down the narrow corridor, the sound leading them like a pulled thread.

Something made Esme turn her head, and she gasped.

A shadow darted across the far end of the hallway, too swift to see clearly, yet it carried the shape of a woman, hair flowing behind her like smoke.

Esme clutched Ryland’s arm with both hands, pressing herself close. “Did you see that?”

He turned fast, raising the torch above them. “See what?”

A strange heaviness suddenly descended on her, as if the sorrow of the weeping ghost had seeped into her chest. Her eyes stung, a lump lodged in her throat, and she could no longer bear it.

Ryland saw her struggle. “What’s wrong, Esme?”

“Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Get me out of here. I… I can’t stay up here.”

Ryland didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arm around her and led her down the stairs, guiding her back into the comforting glow of the hearth. She trembled as she sank down onto the blanket.

After returning the torch to its bracer, he sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms.

She clung to him tightly, burying her face in his chest, seeking his strength, his warmth, cold having sunk into her bones.

The sorrow lifted slowly, like a veil being drawn back and the deep cold began to fade. Her breath steadied, but her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.

“It was unbearable… like grief had taken root inside me. As if I’d lost someone, I loved so deeply it hollowed me out.”

Ryland pressed his lips to her temple and held her closer. “You didn’t imagine it, Esme. Something lingers here.”

She nodded against him, her fingers curling into his shirt.

“I don’t think it means us harm,” she said quietly. “But, like you, it searches for something.”

The fire burned strong, leaving shadows lingering in the corners, but the weeping had ceased, leaving only the quiet crackle of the logs and the sound of their breathing.

Esme remained nestled against Ryland, his arms strong around her, anchoring her to the present. She could still feel the lingering echo of that sorrow, like the fading ache of a bruise on her soul.

“I wonder who she was,” she murmured. “What loss broke her so deeply that it still echoes through these walls?”

Ryland didn’t speak right away. His fingers slowly traced a soothing path along her arm. “Maybe someone who loved fiercely,” he said at last. “And had that love torn from her.”

Esme closed her eyes. “It frightens me, how easily sorrow can slip inside and steal your breath. For a moment, I felt like I couldn’t bear it. Like I might never feel light again.”

He turned slightly, his cheek brushing her hair. “I would never let anything happen to you. I’m with you now and always.”

She pulled back just enough to look up at him. In the firelight, his features softened, shadows and flame playing across his face. There was something unguarded in his eyes, something he hadn’t shown her before. A quiet kind of protectiveness. A tenderness she’d never known.

“I don’t know what happens next or where it will take us,” he said, brushing his finger against her cheek. “But I do know we will face it together.”

Her eyes shimmered, not with sorrow from before, but something gentler and warmer now. She felt loved and that faded her worries, though not completely. Not that it was any fault of Ryland’s. It was the damage Torrance had done to her, how inadequate he had made her feel, the games he played that left her frightened and unsure of herself. That damage lingered in her and while Ryland was far different from Torrance, he wore the same face. And she couldn’t help but worry, try as she might, of it hurting her chance of true happiness with Ryland.

“Aye, together,” she said.

Ryland held her throughout the night as she slept in his arms. He remained alert, dozing now and again but never letting himself fully sleep, keeping alert, ready to protect Esme. He could feel and see the worry in her. Though she said she would no longer let Torrance darken her life, he knew it would not be that easy for her. Torrance had a way of leaving his mark on people one way or the other. He had tried to do it to him but had failed. It takes time to erase, to be rid of such a burdensome mark. But Ryland had faith that the love he had for Esme would make all the difference and that time would heal the invisible wounds she had suffered, and Torrance would be nothing but a faded, powerless memory.

CHAPTER 19

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